Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri is ready to let Danny Drinkwater leave the club on a permanent basis before the end of the month.
The Daily Star reports that Schalke, who had previously been linked with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, are keen to bring the player to Germany.
Drinkwater had been tipped to leave on loan, but with the European window closing at the end of the month, a permanent move is appearing the most likely option for the former Leicester City ace, who wants to get his career back on track.
After failing to break through at Chelsea under Antonio Conte, Drinkwater is set to fall further down the pecking order under Sarri.
The arrivals of Matteo Kovacic and Jorginho, as well as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has also returned from his loan spell, make regular game time unlikely.
It has already been well documented that Chelsea are happy to sell if they can recoup a large percentage of the fee they spent on the midfielder.
